Bean straw separator



April 26, 1949. F, ABELL 2,468,708

BEAN STRAW SEPARATOR Filed Nov. 21, 1942 Patented Apr. 26, 1949 BEAN s'rRAW sEPARAToR Frank Abell, Inglewood, Calif., assignor of onehalf to Louis R. Stephens, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application November 21, 1942, Serial No. 466,464

1 My invention relates to a separator particularly designed for use during bean harvesting operations, for the convenient and eicient separation of bean straws or vines, into spaced piles upon the ground.

In using a new type of bean thresher now in general use andl termed a pickup thresher, it has been found particularly advantageous to separate the bean vines into small piles so that a series of such piles are fed to the thresher cylinder, instead of a continuous feed. This prevents uneven feeding because the cylinder cannot draw more than one pile at a time.

I propose to separate the vines into piles either before or after they have been placed in one windrow and where my invention is operated directly behind a cutter, the vines are rst separated into piles, after which a side-delivery rake is used to rake the piles into one row, but, due to the fact that they have once been separated, they more or less, remain in that condition.

Among the principal objects of my invention are, to provide for the more eiicient and uniform feeding of bean vines to the threshing machine, thereby saving more of the crop in addition to materially decreasing wear and tear on the threshing machine, and, further, to provide simple and e'icient means which will separate heavy vines, thereby materially reducing much arduous hand labor.

A further object of my invention is, to provide means whereby bean vines may be piled immediately after being out, thereby avoiding the common practice of farmers allowing their beans to dry for several days after cutting, on account of the vines being too heavy to pile immediately after cutting. This early piling makes for easier threshing and more of the weight of the bean is obtained from the vine, due to the fact that early piling causes the beans to go through a sweat, as well as preventing rapid drying, which latter condition exists where unpiled beans are exposed for some time to sun and wind.

A further object of my invention is, to provide a separator of the character referred to, which is of simple, inexpensive construction and which may be associated with the conventional hay rakes used by practically all farmers.

A further object of my invention is to provide a vine or straw separator which will enable farmers to harvest their bean crops with minimum labor, even where the beans are not threshed with pickup threshers and by using a side deliverymrake,either before or after piling,

2 claims'. (o1. ses-'386) 2 a still further saving of labor may be in the harvesting functions.

A further object of my invention is to produce more uniform sized piles, which aids materially in the harvesting and curing of crops.

A further object of my invention is to provide a separator which will in operation, pick up very little, if any dirt and which undesirable result frequently occurs where the bean vines have not been properly cut and are partly buried in the ground.

I propose to accomplish this result, by placing blocks on the rims of the wheels ofthe rake, so as to shake or vibrate the latter as it moves forward, thereby shaking the dirt from the vines as the same are picked up by the rake teeth.

With the foregoing and other objects in View,

effected my invention consists in certain novel featuresl of construction and arrangement of parts, which will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of my improved bean straw separator and showing same associated with a conventional hay rake.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken lengthwise on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail View partly in section and showing a portion of the means utilized for tripping the rake from the wheels of the separator.

Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section taken throughthe center of the modified form of a separator.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the side the modified form of separator.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of my invention, l0 designates the frame of a conventional hay rake, Il designates the wheels thereof, I2 designates the' rake teeth vcarrying bar, i3 designates the dumping dogs between the bar and wheel hubs, I4 designates the housing containing the bar tripping mechanism and I5, the rod which extends from the tripping mechanism to the dumping dogs.

All of the parts just described are to be found in a standard type of hay rake, and form no part of my invention. The particular rake with which my improved bean straw separator has been combined and successfully used in the fieldfis disclosed in U. S. Letters Patent #1,000,438 issued Aug. 15, 1911 the Charles Pearson, Chicago, Illinois,assignor to International Harvestor Co., which patent includes a4 trip lever 26, to which is portion of connected, a cable running forwardly from my improved separator.

There are several other patented rakes with which my improved separator may be readily combined, among which may be mentioned #1,812,035 issued June 30, 1931 to Carlson, also Patents No. 1,850,384 and #1,850,385, both issued March 221932, to. Coultas andassignedtoDeere Co Moline, Illinois;A vIn order to ifmpart vibration to the rake teeth for the purpose of shaking dirt from the vines as they are picked up, I provide.. on the rims of the wheels Il, short blocks I' which contact with the ground andfislightly. the wheels as they travel forward, and saidwheels dropping slightly as the blocks'deave tliegroun'd;Vv

Pivoted at I1a to the rearl central portion of rake frame I0 is the forwardend uffa.:frame:l l1',A having in its rear portion, bearings 1.8,.forl an.,

axle, and the latter having fixed thereon, wheels I9, having the same* diameter as the rake wheel'sfl If.

Secured to the rims of'whe'elsv i9; areethe-ends of a transverse vine4 engaging andr pressing bar 2'l`l-^an'd` a somewhatvsimilar pressure-bar-2-1 is secured to thewheelrims, ashort--distance,Y forinst'ance-I-.Zror llinchesy to the rear'of theprimary bari-0f:

Secured-to-the rims of' the wheels f I 9; at' points tothe-manorvl bar 2l are th`e-ends of transversely l ter being secured to a flexible member-'28;"for

instan-ce, a cable, which passes forwardlyxbeneath a pulley 29 mounted on'f'rar.fie.1l1;` and the forwardend of said cablefis connectedto';th'eLtrip mechanism inhousing` 14:'.

A; -latching arm.` 3d' isA pivotally mounted: on

frame {HE/Rand engages. crank; 2:5;to limit .the -forward .movement thereof; due tothe pull offspring 21 and said arm 30 is held in latchingiengagee mentwith said crank; by ,afretractile springqSilc connected at one enidto :framed 1.1

operation,` the rakecand'4 wheeledframe-i; I1 are". drawn:l forward: and;` raket teeth gatheir'bean vines.r and draw; same forwardlyover the?. ground and at, periodic intervals the rake iteet'h- `arer ele.- vatedito -.releaseand dump thefvines in.` regularly spaced-piles'.`

` After. a-pile of.v vines has been4 dumped from ,the rake teeth, thelatter, swing., downwardlintdnor.- malrakingi, position, and ordinarily, or. without some vine separating means',there is a, marked tendency for the rakete'etjh'to drag' some of" the vinesy from the last Vdumped pile toth'edrextpile tobermadie.

'IhewheelsA 19"- of the-separator, aretimed `so that' theprimary pressure bar 2ll-'enga'ges4 the groundfimmediately ah'eadof-"theflastformedpile, thereby-pressingthevines-'on -thelground asf the rake#teethImoveiforwardl to rake thelfvinesl which fcrmetlie next vpile. I`1'nmecliatel3'r-A following the engagement' of 'fbairf 21V-@withitheground,"tlrezfsec ondary pressure bar 2| engages the ground and vines thereon, to complete the separation of the vines before the rake dumps the next pile.

The separation of the vines is effected as the rake moves forward during the time period that the pressure bars 20 and 2| are in contact with ground and pressing the vines thereupon.

Ashort time after the vines `have been separated andthef bars 20 and/125|' travel'fupward and forward, vthe fingers 22"contact witl and swing crank arms 24a downward, so as to rock shaft 24, thereby swinging crank 25 and arm 26 downward: and', rearward, to pull spring 21 and cable 28 rearwardly. This pull on cable 28 actuates th'emechanismiin housing I4, to move trip rods 15E inv turn causirigthe dumping dogs to act and rotatefrakebar I2 and thereby lift the rake teeth and .dump the raked vines therefrom.

Immediately following this movement, the rake teeth swing downwardsinto raking position and following such action,A the pressure: bargjand 21:: moves downward to. engage the vineszon'nth'e ground@ ahead of the: pile justz dumpediby.; the rake; Thus, the bean vines; are effectually; sep;- arated between the piles formed by thefrakeand dragging of the vines from the.pi'les. asiit'heyviare intermittently;r formed by the,l rake; is.; eliminated.

AfterA the rake has been 'dumpedi asqiust del# scribed, rock shaft .26fcrankfarmsv-24a; cranlr25 and-arm 2li returnr toftheir normalpositionsmnder: thel influencerof 'retractilef springgZ-T In themodified Yconstruction illustratedv in Figs. 4 and 5, the hubs ofthe -wheelsllofxfaz con:- ventional rake have -dumpingyrdogsz` S25-which includecircular outer housings: 33-having ratchet teethu34.

The-frarnevofl the rake is extended-a rearwardly asfdesignated by 35 andv providedr with-bearings tefor: a transverse shaft-31. Secured toftheends of, arms, 33.v which. -projectfradiall-y. from;V shaft 31 are Vine engaging `pressure rnernbersll.-l

Mounted onv one end of.y shaft31 isasprocket wher-*,l-liliV and connecting samecand thertoothed housing` 33 of the corresponding dumping` dogis a. sprocket. chain 4 l Inf this,` modified structure, the* dumping dog. is actuated.periodicallyftoidump therake. and shaft 31v operates in propery time relation to the.. travel'` of. the rake;` so..thaty the pressurebars. 39.. engageand presstheA vinesontol the groundV just beyond each pilev of-. vines, there? by. bringing. about the desired separation. of? vines between theY piles, and-which. separat-ion elimif nates V,the.draggiilg of the vines from. one .pile to the next. A vconventional lslipclutch. 4.2" provides A ayielding connection. betweensprocket .wheel In the preferred embodiment of my finvention, thespacing of the pilesnof straw isgovernedb'y the size of. the wheels I9.' While inthe modified construction, the spacingofthe. pilesjs governed by the relative size of the sprocket'wheel' 40and the sprocket on the hub of wheel '31;

Thus; itwill'b'e` seenthatI have provideda bean straw separator that is simple in construction, inexpensive of manufacture and veryieifective' in performing the functionsY for -which it'is'inte'nded.

lIt'will' be' understood that` minor-changes in the size, form' and construction; of my'l improved beanw straw Vseparator may be'. madel andV- substrtuted for those `herein shown' an'd'describedwith'- out departing fromv theL spirit ofthe invention, the'j-scope of f which isl set -forthdntheappended CIITIST v I claim as my invention? 1.' vinef separatorA yfor. self''- dumpii'rg'- rales adapted mirare'`l vines intofpil'es-,lcomprisingrc tary means including a pair of wheels and a pair of cross bars interconnecting the rims of said wheels and spaced apart circumferentially thereof, said rotary means adapted to be connected to said rake and to traverse the ground immediately to the rear thereof, for pressing vines onto the ground and eiecting a separation thereof from the pile formed by said rake.

2. A vine separator for wheeled rakes comprising a frame carried by and positioned to the rear of the rake, a pair of spaced members mounted for rotation on said frame and a pair of transversely disposed circumferentially spaced rails interconnecting the peripheral portions of said rotary members for engaging and pressing vines and the like against the ground and thereby separate said vines from the pile formed by the rake.

FRANK ABELL.

6 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

